Source: Radio New Zealand
Wellington Water’s Moa Point treatment plant (file photo). Wellington Water
After a night of heavy rain, Wellington Water has started discharging raw sewage off the city’s south coast, and issued two other wastewater discharge notices.
Wellington Water said a mechanical failure at 3am on Wednesday caused it to start an unconsented discharge of untreated wastewater from its Moa Point treatment plant.
It said the sewage would emerge at the short outfall into the ocean at Tarakena Bay and may cause the water to appear cloudy or murky.
The water agency said it had discharged screened wastewater into Karori Stream at 10.45pm on Tuesday. That would also flow into the sea on the south coast.
About half an hour before that, fully treated sewage was released at 10.18pm into Waiwhetū Stream in Lower Hutt, which flows into the sea near Petone beach.
Water monitoring body Land, Air, Water Aotearoa advises people to stay out of the sea for two or three days after heavy rain.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
